Earth 2038
The year is 2038 and this is the world we live in. New York City, this roleplay's setting, has become the capital of the world after much of the east coast has been sunk beneath great tidal waves which resulted from the use of WMDs during WWIII. Civil order and justice are a thing of the past and most citizens fill their days with debauchery and hedonism to distract themselves from the terrible condition of society. Only the wealthiest citizens have any semblance of a good life and most of them are all demons in disguise. For most people, life is a constant struggle as they work for little scraps, doing whatever you it takes to get enough money for food. Many join the military just to be fed, while others actively resist and are labelled "terrorists" by the public at-large. The police, no better off than the rest of us, rely on dirty money with criminal groups to make ends meet and most politicians are no more than puppets for the real owners of the government. Many churches and other buildings used for public meetings have been closed as public demonstrations of any kind are no longer allowed. This has in turn led to the decline of most religions, civil activism, peaceful protests, and most every other form of public and private congregation. History In 2019, the president of the United States was assassinated and succeeded by his Vice President, Damian Thorne. In 2020, Thorne would be elected to serve as the next president. Immediately following his election, North Korea would declare war on South Korea. This, inevitably pulled the US and Japan into the fray and by the end of the year, a full scale war broke out across the eastern coasts of Asia. By 2021, North Korea finally convinced China to join in the fight against the American threat to their sovereignty as the fighting got closer and closer to Chinese territories. In 2022, evidence of Russian support for Chinese and North Korean forces surfaced and immediately following, America and its allies declared war on Russia. By the end of the year, all of Europe, most of the South Pacific (including Australia), parts of Africa, most South American nations, and Mexico and Canada join America, while all of Asia is forced to join Russia and its allies. As most of the world begins to label the war as World War III, the fighting only worsens and in time, the struggles reach American soil. As soon as it does, President Thorne receives approval from Congress to enact a state of emergency in America and by 2023, martial law is established, suspending elections and effectively created a new dictatorship. Weapons of mass destruction are first used in WWIII in 2024 with the detonation of a nuclear device just off the coast of France. By 2025, biological weapons are triggered across the Americas (North and South) and by 2026, large portions of Europe are abandoned as Russian forces overrun the region. Japan, Australia, and America become the only stable nations among the New Allied Forces of WWIII and as such, take on the burden of protecting and providing security for the remaining nations on their side. By 2027, efforts to hold portions of south east Asia were finally abandoned by joint Chinese and Russian forces as the American led forces began a full scale invasion of the Asian mainland. Since then, the war has slowed to a near standstill as advances became impossible due to the entrenchment of the Russian and Chinese forces. Since then, the Alliance (America and Japan and the remnants of their allies) have turned their attention inwards, focusing on refining their war machine in the efforts to finally push the war-front and finally win the war. New World Order Since the slow decline of active hostilities between the primary combatants of war, the world has fallen into a state of constant attrition with the Alliance of Western Nations serving as the only remaining stable government. Successor to the United Nations, the Alliance of Western Nations (or simply the Alliance) has become the only remaining supranational governmental organization in the world. Born of several military alliances between numerous Western nations, the Alliance is currently led by the United States, with some assistance from the mostly sovereign nation of Japan. The organization has grown to include not only its original nations like those of the former European Union, South America, and parts of the South Pacific like Australia, but also large parts of Africa and a growing portion of South and East Asia. Around 2031, the Alliance divided the parts of the world it owns into "districts" currently known as the South Pacific, African, South American, and European Districts. While Canada and Mexico have since been assimilated into United States proper, the US and Japan have mostly maintained their sovereignty through their leadership of the Alliance. New York With most of the wealthiest men and women of the world residing somewhere in the city and the US's presidential office being moved to the city's former city hall in 2033, New York City has quickly become the center of the world and seat of the world's final superpower. Like in all cities throughout Alliance territories, civil order is maintained through the military police and all of the services that the city once provided are now provided by corporations for service-fees. Streets in poverty stricken areas are left untouched by the corporate, city services, as are most water and electric lines, leaving most of the local populations to fend for themselves. Gangs run rampant throughout the city, holding large spans of territory while the wealthier neighborhoods usually remain untouched thanks to extensive and well equipped private security teams. Now, a dark and foreboding metropolis rife with crime, corruption, and urban decay, New York has become a symbol representative of the world at-large. Society While there are some variations between each district, the Alliance has standardized its practice of keeping the public distracted with entertainment and hedonism, primarily utilizing mass media to disseminate intricate propaganda schemes to the public to guide them along the path that is most desirable for the powers that be. There is little information on exactly what happens within the borders of territories controlled by the Alliance's enemies and most prisoners of war are taken into custody by the Wardens, officers of the agency within the US military known as the War Prisons. Only people who are a part of the War Prisons' team know exactly what goes on in their facilities. Western Alliance Territories Daily life among the populations of Alliance territories usually consist of doing whatever it takes to get money for food, followed by a near constant endeavor to find distractions from real life. Prostitution and legalized drug distribution have become very common throughout much of the Alliance's territories. Currently the government has deteriorated into a form of oligarchy and neo-feudalism where the wealthiest members of society fund what were originally public services and those who wish to use the services, if they can afford it, pay their representatives. Taxes have become non-existent with most of the government's needs funded by the wealthy. Politicians at most levels are appointed by the federal government and most city governments have dissolved entirely due to their inability to enforce their laws with no funding or police force. The rule of law is primarily enforced by a military police force born of the US Army's MPs, specifically tasked with maintaining civil order. While the entirety of Alliance territories are in a state of perpetual martial law, this does not generally interfere with everyday life. Now, most citizens have grown accustomed to a fully militarized police force on constant patrol throughout every major street and even gunning "terrorists" down in public. Most people go about their daily lives as people in major cities did two decades prior. The Conspiracy While always under the guise of "national security" and continually preaching to the public that the enactment of martial law is only temporary and the government's plan is to lift it once the war is over, those currently in power never intend to let either martial law nor the war end. Demons have infiltrated a majority of the most powerful organizations in the world, spending ages using their silver tongues to weasel their way into the good graces of those already in power. By the time the Apocalypse began, most of the world leaders had been replaced by either someone in the pocket of a demon (knowingly or unknowingly) or were replaced with demons altogether. Now, demons have laid claim to seats of power throughout most of the world and use their clout within most of the world's financial and political institutions to influence world events.